SB-216641 and BRL-15572 – compounds to pharmacologically discriminate h5-HT1B and h5-HT1D receptors

Despite only modest homology between h5-HT_1B and h5-HT_1D receptor amino acid sequences, these receptors display a remarkably similar pharmacology. To date there are few compounds which discriminate between these receptor subtypes and those with some degree of selectivity, such as ketanserin, have greater affinity for other 5-HT receptor subtypes. We now report on two compounds, SB-216641 (N-[3-(2-dimethylamino) ethoxy-4-methoxyphenyl]-2’-methyl-4’-(5-methyl-1,2,4-oxadiazol-3-yl)-(1,1’-biphenyl)-4-carboxamide) and BRL-15572 3-[4-(3-chlorophenyl) piperazin-1-yl]-1,1-diphenyl-2-propanol), which display high affinity and selectivity for h5-HT_1B and h5-HT_1D receptors, respectively. In receptor binding studies on human receptors expressed in CHO cells, SB-216641 has high affinity (pK_i=9.0) for h5-HT_1B receptors and has 25-fold lower affinity at h5-HT_1D receptors. In contrast, BRL-15572 has 60-fold higher affinity for h5-HT_1D (pK_i=7.9) than 5-HT_1B receptors. Similar affinities for these compounds were determined on native tissue 5-HT_1B receptors in guinea-pig striatum. Functional activities of SB-216641 and BRL-15572 were measured in a [³⁵S]GTPγS binding assay and in a cAMP accumulation assay on recombinant h5-HT_1B and h5-HT_1D receptors. Both compounds were partial agonists in these high receptor expression systems, with potencies and selectivities which correlated with their receptor binding affinities. In the cAMP accumulation assay, results from pK_B measurements on the compounds again correlated with receptor binding affinities (SB-216641, pK _B=9.3 and 7.3; BRL-15572, pK_B=<6 and 7.1, for h5-HT_1B and h5-HT_1D receptors respectively). These compounds will be useful pharmacological agents to characterise 5-HT_1B and 5-HT_1D receptor mediated responses. Received: 14 March 1997 / Accepted: 18 May 1997